What to do after you receive your trademark registration

What to do after you receive your trademark registration

You’ve finally gotten through trademark prosecution and correspondence with the USPTO and received your certificate of registration in the mail! Congratulations! Now it’s time to put your trademark to use. Follow these steps for a start:

Keep up with your maintenance filings and corresponding fees. This includes your declarations of use and incontestability (Sections 8 and 15) between the 5th and 6th anniversary of your registration. If you miss these deadlines and the 6-month grace period, your benefits are lost. If you can maintain them, your mark is strong. Also, remember that you must renew your registration at every ten year anniversary.

Update your trademark registrations to reflect any changes in use. Delete the uses that are no longer current.

Start using the ® designation. The TM designation is for trademarks that are not registered. The ® designation can deter people who might be tempted to use your trademark or a similar one. Use of the symbol will also make it easier to recover damages in cases of counterfeiting.